Chapter 56: “What is it that I haven’t seen?”

“The Crown Princess stayed with Lady Zhao tonight.”

Xiao Ji: “…”

He had never expected such an answer.

His chest tightened, a discomfort rising that left him caught between anger and frustration.

He stood there for a moment, then turned on his heel and went back to his study.

At that time, Xie Yao was indeed lying beside Zhao Ying, yet she found it hard to fall asleep.

As though… she had overlooked something important.

“Yao-yao,” Zhao Ying turned to her, “are you not used to it? Why not go back to your own bed? After all, in just a few months I’ll return to the capital, and we’ll see each other again then.”

Xie Yao immediately threw her arms around Zhao Ying. “Not at all. When I was little, Sister Ying slept beside me every night.”

At the memory, both of them laughed softly.

“At that time your mother had just passed, and you were so young, you always cried at night.” Zhao Ying reached out and touched her head. “And back then you were so soft, like a little ball. Holding you to sleep kept me warm.”

Xie Yao nestled even closer. “Sister Ying, you’re so good to me.”

Silence settled briefly in the room.

Then Zhao Ying spoke again: “Yao-yao, I heard you plan to adopt a child from the Xie clan and record the name under your mother’s branch?”

Xie Yao had never told her this, but she had heard whispers.

Xie Yao nodded. “Mm. Elder Sister already knows? I haven’t even written to Grandfather and Grandmother yet…”

“Yao-yao, there’s something I’ve long hesitated to tell you.” Zhao Ying’s voice carried hesitation, enough to make Xie Yao’s heart jolt.

“No matter what it is, Elder Sister, don’t hide it from me.”

Zhao Ying sat up. “Last August, people from the trading firm encountered an old servant in the south, one who had once served the Xie family.”

“That person said… regarding your mother’s death, there might have been more to the story.”

Xie Yao’s face changed instantly, her grip on Zhao Ying’s hand tightening unconsciously.

Zhao Ying did not resist, only lowered her voice. “The year you were born, Master Xie had just gained his official title, but your mother’s health declined day by day. In less than half a year, she passed away. And only half a year after her death, Master Xie took a new wife.”

“But Grandmother said your mother had studied martial exercises since childhood under a teacher, keeping her body in good health.”

“When she fell ill, the Zhao family sought out countless physicians, yet none could save her. But the servant they met last August said… during your mother’s illness, every medicine was handled personally by Master Xie.”

“He is not such a good man.” At the mention of Master Xie, contempt flickered in Xie Yao’s eyes.

If he had truly cherished his first wife, how could he have neglected and mistreated her daughter for so many years?

Zhao Ying nodded. “Grandmother always suspected, but had no proof.”

“Only last August did we finally discover a clue. That was why Grandfather and Grandmother decided to shift the firm’s focus back to the capital.”

“At first, they intended to take things slowly. But since you became Crown Princess, the trading firm gained a strong backing, and they accelerated the move.”

Xie Yao’s sharp mind caught something wrong. “So Elder Sister, Zhao family’s departure from the capital back then, was there more to it?”

She had never known.

“It was because of the Zhang family.” With nothing more to hide, Zhao Ying told her plainly. “The Zhao family was pressured, forced to leave the capital.”

She gripped Xie Yao’s hand. “All these years, Grandfather and Grandmother have carried guilt…”

The Zhangs!

Madam Zhang’s father and brothers all held office. To make trouble for a merchant family was nothing to them.

“It was I who dragged the Zhao family down.” Xie Yao’s lips pressed together, hatred flashing in her eyes, directed at the Zhangs.

Her grandparents had only one daughter, her mother. For so many years, they had held onto her grievance. If they had had any choice, how could they have left her alone in the wolf’s den that was the Xie family?

Those few childhood years she had spent in the Zhao household had been the happiest time of her life.

“How could this be your fault?” Zhao Ying said firmly. “Grandfather and Grandmother only blame themselves for failing to protect you.”

Xie Yao shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Sister Ying, I will uncover the truth of this matter.”

This hatred must be avenged!

The next morning.

When Xie Yao and Zhao Ying awoke, both felt groggy. One look at each other was enough to make them laugh aloud.

Their eyes were both swollen.

“I’ll accompany Elder Sister to the docks.” Xie Yao declared without room for refusal.

Zhao Ying did not reject her.

Their movements were soon reported back to the study.

When Xiao Ji came to breakfast, he saw her eyes, red and swollen even under powder.

She… had cried last night?

Something twisted inside him, leaving even the meal bland and tasteless.

“Your Highness,” Xie Yao’s voice was hoarse, “Sister Ying is heading south with the trading firm today. I want to see her off at the docks.”

Xiao Ji nodded, offering no objection.

But Xie Yao, preoccupied with the revelations of yesterday and her thoughts of sending Zhao Ying off, paid little attention to his expression.

The capital had seen days of rain. Today, drizzle still veiled the skies.

“Yao-yao, rest assured. The Zhao family has hidden that man somewhere absolutely safe. He will also come to the capital this time. You can meet him in person then.”

Xie Yao nodded, reluctantly sending Zhao Ying aboard the ship.

Afterward, instead of returning straight to the Crown Prince’s residence, she stood on the riverbank with her oiled-paper umbrella.

The river surged with dark waves. Days of rain had raised its waters considerably.

“Crown Princess.”

After a long while, Zhuxin stepped forward. “The wind and rain are heavy. It would be best to return the residence now.”

If she caught a chill, it would not be good.

“Very well.” Xie Yao turned, just then, the sound of horse hooves approached.

She looked intently.

Through the curtain of rain, she recognized the figure leading the riders, it was Xiao Ji, clad in brocade.

The Crown Prince?

Her brows drew together, her heart giving a startled tremor.

His horse galloped swiftly, halting not far from her. He dismounted at once, striding forward, yet stopping short of her with deliberate distance.

Rain had soaked him through, leaving him looking disheveled.

Only after carefully scanning her to confirm she was unharmed did he exhale in relief.

“Your Highness!”

Xie Yao started forward, but Xiao Ji stepped back. His voice carried a cool edge. “I am drenched. Do not let me wet you.”

“Bring fresh clothes, quickly,” Xie Yao ordered Si-nan and the others who followed. Then she led Xiao Ji into a nearby teahouse.

A cup of hot ginger tea drove out some of the chill.

Looking at him, still dripping wet, she asked, “Your Highness, why did you…”

Xiao Ji gave a small cough, the tips of his ears faintly red, offering no explanation.

“Your Highness, are you chilled?” Alarmed by the cough, Xie Yao stepped forward and began unfastening his robes with her own hands.

“Take off these wet clothes at once—”

“Yao-yao.” Xiao Ji caught her hands. His body was cool, but his eyes burned. “You must not.”

“At a time like this, Your Highness, don’t be shy.” Her voice softened without her realizing, a teasing note in it. “What is it that I haven’t already seen?”

The room stilled. The air turned thick with unspoken tension.

Unable to resist her persistence, Xiao Ji yielded. But the moment he did, Xie Yao’s courage faltered.

She had seen before, but under the veil of night, not in broad daylight like this. The feeling was entirely different.

And she had never expected that by simply tugging at his clothes, His Highness would…

“Heh.”

A mischievous chuckle sounded behind her. “Since Yao-yao has seen it all, why blush now?”